Friday, October 14, 2016

Bangtan Boys also known as BTS, recently made a comeback to the Kpop scene with a brand new album - Wings. I was amazed by BTS maturity in music, since we knew that BTS was famous for their youthful Hip-hop style. In my opinion, BTS has been experimenting different genre of music style after their last album - The most beautiful moment (Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa). Their brand new album features a variety of music style and solo for each member. This album showcased the member’s talent and what they can do as individuals. I heard that BTS participated in the production of this album which was truly great. Wings touched on a few sensitive social problems and some personal subject about the member’s thoughts and their inner struggles. The circles they were talking about in Wings were self, family, friends and the world as they were interlinked with each other. I am pleased with the overall concept of this album, keeping the mystery towards the end and practically leaving us craving for more of BTS. I look forward to this promising boy band future venture as they did prove to us how versatile and precious they were in pursuing performing Arts. This album definitely showed us a different side of BTS and they were prepared to step-up on their game in this ever changing music scene, while creating their own identity.

J-Hope open the curtain of this album with his stunning display of dance skills and he totally owned it! I love the mysterious feeling to this music and the way J-hope expressed himself with his body movements. The lyrics - too bad, but it’s too sweet was well written and it rhymes with the whole album concept. The tempo and rhythm of this song was enchanting, drawing us into the world of BTS.

We knew that this album was inspired by the popular novel - Demain. The whole album focused on the member’s life and how they keep falling into temptations. Everyone have their own struggles and worries and there were times when we simply gave in to sins. The rap lyrics is both beautiful and meaningful. Basically, BTS carried a strong message about - life is not a bed of roses.

This official music video from Big hit Entertainment was filmed in high quality resolution and it simply showed that BTS was worth every single penny. The story begins with the boys at the Art Museum. Jin stared at a picture on the wall intently with a zoomed in close shoot of our beautiful Jin. All of a sudden, the boys became seven sophisticated princes dancing seductively to the music. I love the maracas that was used as part of the background music and i can't help but move along with the music. The Spanish inspired tune in between the song created a rather Artistic feel to the whole concept. BTS used the trendy music genre called moonbaton trap and added a bit of mysterious elements. These boys are a bunch of masterpiece amidst the Art work around the museum.

I appreciate how evenly they distributed their lines in all BTS songs. The producer simply looked at who is suitable for which lines and each individual sang their parts very well. The music arrangement was well done and the boys did their best to seduce us with their new style. The music of Blood, Sweat and Tears went from soft and gentle to loud and aggressive and back to seductive again. It was a roller coaster ride to me! I love their transition from youth to adults. Nothing can stop BTS from moving on towards a new level in the music industry. We know that BTS are moving in a new musical direction and they are having fun in their journey towards exploring artistic expressions.

Jeon Jungkook shared about his life ever since the age of fifteen. He talked about his brother (hyung) pain and how he felt worse when he see them upset. This song is very personal to Jungkook as he sang about how precious his brothers meant to him. In my opinion, this song was a cross between Zion-T and Justin Bieber music style. Jungkook must have been musically influenced by these two artistes. I can feel the sincerity and heartwarming lyrics in begin and Jungkook smoothing voice matches this song very well. Jungkook sang about his gratitude towards the people in his life that inspired him and make him who he is today.

I have been waiting for Jimin to sing solo and he finally did in this album. He should have more confidence in himself and he does have a sweet voice. This song really make me proud of being his fan. In the song Lie, Jimin presented a person with a huge inner struggle and pain. He was probably betrayed by someone he trusted and fall into depression. I love the lyrics - Don't be like a prey, be smooth like a snake. This song sang about Jimin been caught in a lie which was actually the devil poisoning his mind. He was tempted to give himself to the devil repeatedly. Although he knows it is wrong, he cannot stop because he actually love that feeling. Jimin sang this song with such passion and emotion which totally blown me away. I melted at Jimin high notes and the beautiful chorus. Jimin had improved a lot in his vocal control and his English pronunciation.

V has always been an impressive vocalist in my opinion and this song stigma totally drawn me to his voice. He has such a soulful voice and it is a shame if he does not utilize it in a song. Therefore, i am glad he managed to sing solo in this album. In Stigma, V was sorry for his reckless and irresponsible behavior. V felt being punished for the things he had done. He wants to redeem himself from the sin and tried all ways to rectify his mistakes. I love the way V sang his high note and it does proved that V has the widest vocal range in BTS. The music accompaniment for this song is simple with a saxophone, drum and piano as the background music. There is this jazz feeling to this song and it felt like V is confessing his feeling from the moment it drop the beat.

Suga always have an anguish overtone in his rap and this song is no exception. I love the way the song was written with such poetic expression. Suga reminiscence about his childhood and his loved ones. He rapped about the brown piano that stood by his side. He clearly stated that he will never leave (give up on) music. This is his faith and he strongly believed that music heal all pains in his heart. He hide behind the music to relieve his pain and anxiety.

Rap monster lyrics reflected on life been sometimes good and bad. There were dark night and bright morning. I love the way Rap monster rap in English at the beginning. He sound so attractive and sexy. Reflection speaks of Rap monster philosophy about life and his insecurity. He wished to love himself more and not to be too hard on himself.

J-Hope did a great job in this album and people need to stop underestimate his abilities. He is a talented piece of Art with his own style and he totally throws himself in his craft. I love the way he rap about his mother being there for him in his life. He simply love his mother and he wanted his mother to be proud of him too.

I always heard that Jin is only a visual representative in BTS and he was one of the underrated member in Bangtan. Some people commented that he does not have much talent compared to other members. This song Awake really proved the haters wrong as Jin demonstrated his potential musically. I was touched by his gentle, sweet voice and the lyrics of this song was so well written that it brought tears to my eyes. Jin faced disappointment along the way and he still choose to hold on to the six flowers (the members) and continue to walk forward despite the obstacles and setbacks. Jin is really good in ballads and he does have a good voice!

Lost was sang by the four vocalists of BTS and it was a nice cover from them. It talks about being lost and how they tried to find a direction in life. This is very common for youngsters these days being lost and does not know what to do with life. This song connects to the youth that are still looking for their own place in this world.

The rappers in BTS continued their venture into Cypher part 4. They wrote the lyrics themselves and trap-rap along with the music. The lyrics - I love myself, i love myself keeps ringing in my head after listening to this song. The rap line tried to convey the message - Do not let the society define us of who we are and we need to find our own identify in this world. Yes, we need to love ourselves and not fall into depression due to other people opinion of us. They are referring to haters who sit behind the computer, sending hatred and resentment towards other people life. They wanted to destroy people life using words that hurts and they were simply saying things casually without sparing a thought for others.

We often question ourselves - Am i wrong? BTS shared about the social problem of these days where people became selfish and self-centered. They talked about the world we are living is going crazy with all the wrong moral values. This is a reflection about the society and we need to look into what went wrong with the young generation. Jimin pronunciation of crazy sound really crazy to me. Other than that minor problem, this song is really interesting.

BTS always talk about empowerment in their music. They did make it a point to be an inspiration to the youth of this generation. They always speak up against bullying, oppression and discrimination. In this particular song, BTS encouraged the 21st century girls to be strong and confident about themselves. Yes, we need not follow blindly on what the world says and define ourselves based on people opinion.

BTS pull the curtain down with an upbeat song that brings hope and a smile on our face. They sang about holding hands together as one to walk through the storm in our life. In my opinion, BTS tried to reach out to the youth with their music. Darkness will end, hope will arise. As long as we stay together, we will conquer the storm. You are not alone because we are in this together. Do not give up hope and let's move on. This song was well arranged and it served as an encouragement for people who are depressed.

BTS really spread their wings and fly! Yes, this album was a huge success and it will be marked as one of the most beautiful moment in BTS musical journey. I love that the circles they referred to in this album are wings that enabled them to fly higher. Everyone have their own route in life and we can still spread our wings and fly at our own pace. We can if we simply try to spread our wings and fly!